Mounting means for type cylinders



Jan. 10, 1950 UH R 2,493,856

MOUNTING MEANS FOR TYPE CYLINDERS Original Filed May 3', 1946 INVENTOR BY 5 1 I ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 10, 1950 UNITED] STATES PATENT OFFICE;

MOUNTING MEANS FOR TYPE CYLINDERS Eug en Bu hler, Poughkeepsie, N. Y,, assignor to International Business Machines Corporation, NewYork, N. Y., a corporation Of NBW'YOl'k Original application ,May 3, 1946, Serial No.

666,980. Divided and this application 19, .1947, Serial No. 742, 30 I This case relates to mounting means fora rotatably and axially movable element and, in respect to this matter, is a division of application Serial No. 666,980, filed May 3, 1946, by Eugen Buhler et al., now Patent No. 2,458,339, dated January 4, 1949, I

In said application is disclosed a Chinese typewriter including a drum bearing circles of types and a single printing hammer to strike any selected one of the'types. The drum is continuously in rotation and is shiftable axially'while in continuous rotation so as to bring a desired circle of types into alinement with the printing position. Then, as a desired type, in this circle of types, is in flight across the printing position, the printing hammer is operated to strike the desired type for printing on a work sheet. Selection.

of a type thus involves the step of shifting the drum axially to select the proper circle of types. and the further step of actuating th printing hammer at the time the desired type in the selected circle is in flightacross theprinting position. Keys are operated in combination to select the desired types. The axial shift of the drum and the timing of the actuation of the printing hammer is effected by automatic means brought into operation by the selector keys. In order that typing speed. be a maximum, the axial shift of the drum must be effected rapidlyand smoothly and with minimum inertia and momentum and also Without impedin the continuous rota tion of the drum. 1

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to improved means for carrying and mounting an element for rotation and axial travel in such manner that the element may be shifted axially with a minimum of inertia and momentum while the element is in rotation.

More specifically, the invention is directed to anti-friction means for mounting a continuously rotating type cylinder for transverse or axial traction.

The invention further includes anti-friction keying means between the rotatable element and the shaft.

The invention also provides a novel carriage for a rotating drum.

Other objects of the invention will b pointed out in the following description and claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose, by way of example, the principle of the invention and the best mode, which has been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view, partly in section and 3'Claims. (Cl. 197-.48)

2 partly broken away, of the type drum and associated mounting and actuating means for the drum.

Fig. 2 is a section, on an enlarged scale, of the mounting means for the drum, and is taken along lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detailend view looking in the direc a on of the s ft is e c d by dr m ans Iir including the gear 68 fixed on the shaft, Keyed, to shaft IT, by means presently described, is the type drum. The hub of the drum comprises a e ll/oi g t-Weight ma e al suc as maenesium. Circular spiders of similar'light-weight a r l a fa ened to tube is. on y he end.

spiders 2g being shown here. Sup-portedby the spiders and attached by sclGWS 23 to the end spi e s Z0 th ty cylinde 22. so of twei ht mater a The hub o he rpe d m i cl des, es d tha was I .9, t o a d ieces oi l ht-W h ma erial, attachedto the tube by'screws 23a and 2317,01 which screws 23a also serve to fasten the end s iders 20 to the tube, Each-end piece is formed.

with a. section 215a, fitting into an open end of the tube IS, a collar section 2512 extending outside the tube, and a flange 250 between sections 25a and 25b for limiting insertion .of the section 25a,

- into thetube and thereby locating the end piece axially with respect to the tube. Each end piece internally carries three ball bearing rollers 26 to engage three equidistant points of the circumference of shaft 11. For this purpose, the end piece has three chordal bores 25d bisected by radially extending slots 25c. The slots 25c accom modate the ball bearing rollers 26 and washers 29 while bores 25d receive studs 21 and coacting screws 28 for mounting the rollers. The rollers 26, three in each end piece, centralize the type drum I8 on shaft 26 and also afford anti-friction traction for the drum upon its adjustment lengthwise of the shaft. Each end piece also mounts an additional ball bearing roller 30 in position to ride inside a keyway Ila in shaft II. The two rollers 30, one in each end piece, key the drum to the shaft for rotation and afford further anti-friction traction for the drum upon its axial adjustment. The tube l9 and the attached end pieces surround shaft I! with clearance. Hence, the type drum l8 engages the shaft only through the centralizin ball bearing rollers 26 and the keying ball bearing rollers 30, so that traction of the drum along the shaft may take place with Adjustable of the drum along the shaft effected by adjusting a cradle 35=-Which straddles the drum. The cradle comprises; three-armed sides and tie bars 36, 3'1, and 39 j'oinin'g'the arms of the two sides. The cradle is mounted through needle bearings on the collar sections 251) of the end pieces of the drum hub and its'sides abut the flanges 250. to rotate freely inside the cradle and at the same The mounting permits the drum time compels the drum, upon movement of -the cradle lengthwise of the? shaft H, to move with the cradle. The tie bar 39 of the cradle is formed with a rack 38a and a ledge 3% (see Fig. 3) both parallel to shaft IT. A second, parallel rack 40 is fixed to a side of crack, 39a and spaced from ledge vfish-whereby the rack-4D and the ledge define a channel running parallel toshaft {1, Extending into thechannel is a roller 42 carried .by a frame plate 43. Roller 42 prevents rotation of the cradle, restricting it to linearmovement parallel to shaft 11}; Such linear movement is effected, after release of a latch 45 from rack 40, by the turning of a gear 44 which is'in mesh with rack 39a. The transverse movement of the cradle effects similar movementof the type drum. Arrest of the cradle movement,-by reengagement of latch 45 with rack :40, also arrests transverse shift of thetype drum. c 1 .While there havebeen shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferred embodiment,,it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art, without;departing from thespirit of the invention.' Itis theintention,therefg:vre, to be limited only as indicated by. the scope of the following claims.,...-

f -What is claimedis: v

1. A machine including a rotatable shaft, a type cylinder or thelike, and means for mounte ing the cylinder on the shaft for axial travel, said mounting means including hub pieces for the cylinder surrounding the, shaft. with clearance,v

and anti-friction rollersjournaled in the hub pieces with their axes extending at right angles to the axis of the shaft, said rollers being so spaced as to engage equidistant surfaces of the shaft to afiord evenly distributed anti-friction traction for the cylinderv along the shaft, said shaft, being formed with a keyway, said hub pieces also-being-provided with ball-bearing rollers riding in said keyway to afford anti-friction keying of the cylinder to the shaft, whereby the cylinder 'is mounted for rotation with the shaft and, at the same time, may travel along the shaft on solely anti-friction means, including the anti-friction keying rollers.

2. In combination, a rotatable shaft having a keyway therein, a cylinder, and a hub structure for the cylinder constructed to mount the cylinder for rotation with and for travel along the shaft, said hub structure including a tube to which the cylinder is attached, said tube surrounding the shaft with clearance and being open at the oppositeends, said hub structure further including a pair of hub pieces, each fastened into an open end of. said. tube, and a plurality of anti-friction rollers journaled inside each of the;

hub pieces with their axes at right angles to the axis'of the shaft, therollers in each hub piece being spaced to ride on spaced longitudinalsurfaces of the shaft, said hub pieces also being'provided with anti-friction keying devices riding in the keyway in the shaft to key the cylinder to the shaftfor rotation therewith, whereby the cylin f der is mounted to be capable of anti-friction traction along the shaft while in rotation with the shaft.

3. A combination as defined in .claim.2,-and a cradle straddling the cylinder and movable parallel to the shaft to effect the cylinder travel along the shaft, said hub pieces including sleeves extending outside the ends of the tube, anti-fric- I tion means surrounding said sleeves, said cradle having its sides mounted through said anti-friction means on said sleeves so as to allow the cylinder to rotate freely within the cradle, and means preventing turning of the cradle.

EUGEN BUHLER. f

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent: 

